July 2026 - Sometimes I'm Happy

[Mick-7]

Equal time for guitarists....

Well, we'll make an exception for Paul Desmond.

[Question]

@Mr. B

yes, there are definitely similarities between Lester and Django in their embellishments and vibrato.

Just to be clear, in my video only the Melody is Lester's, the rest is me trying to approximate a style in which I am not very knowledgeable.

[mr. beaumont]

@Mr. B

yes, there are definitely similarities between Lester and Django in their embellishments and vibrato.

Just to be clear, in my video only the Melody is Lester's, the rest is me trying to approximate a style in which I am not very knowledgeable.

Yes, and i should have mentioned that I thought you did a nice job at keeping that feel going in your own improv after Lester's take on the melody.

[Christian Miller]

After hearing Lester Young playing the melody I decided to transcribe it. The way he made so much out of this simple melody is really amazing.

I played it along with Lester in the first video and then played his version of the melody in the duo with Jeff. I will include my transcription in case anyone is interested.

Duplicating Lester's unique timing and vibrato was a challenge.
Attachment 133708

Very nice! I must learn this tune.
Just out of interest what year is your 175?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Question]

@Mr. B. Thanks, yes I'm avoiding too many altered notes and trying to keep the rhythmic aspect in the era.

@Christian. Thanks. I posted my transcription of Lester's melody in the original post if you want to save some time.

It is actually a ES175T Thin-line. I think it is from 1980. A great design but it is sort of sluggish, especially above the 12th fret. 1980's era wasn't the golden age for Gibson, although there are some nice ones still being built.

[Mick-7]

With all due respect, Mr. B., I like the chord-work of your comping but your timing is irregular, speeds up as you go along - set a metronome to it and you'll hear it. Guess I'll have to record my own background track for this.

[mr. beaumont]

Comments respectfully taken.

Im intentionally testing my time on these recordings, so clearly, still stuff to work on.

[Mick-7]

Comments respectfully taken.

I'm intentionally testing my time on these recordings, so clearly, still stuff to work on.

I'm thinking you were getting a little bored with it (I would) and so.....

I don't like playing with a metronome but I am enjoying my Mini Beat Buddy.

I did use metronome for this track though -- The Summer of Rhythm Guitar 2026
(Oh wait, that was Beat Buddy!)

[mr. beaumont]

I practice with a metronome, just don't record with one...but maybe I should, if just in my ear...

[Mick-7]

I practice with a metronome, just don't record with one...but maybe I should, if just in my ear...

Metronomes are a bore, I find drum machines like the Beat Buddy to be more enjoyable.

[mr. beaumont]

Metronomes are a bore, I find drum machines like the Beat Buddy to be more enjoyable.

Im a drum genius guy.

[ragman1]

With all due respect, Mr. B., I like the chord-work of your comping but your timing is irregular, speeds up as you go along - set a metronome to it and you'll hear it. Guess I'll have to record my own background track for this.

Nice guy, Mr. B, I knew he'd respond that way more or less.

Oh, no, you don't, Mick. He does speed up minutely but so what? So keep up with him like rest of us did. What are you, helpless?

You did this on those Barry Galbraith arrangements. You'd turn up and destroy the whole thing before anyone had barely started, thread after thread. 'I'm not playing that. I'm not playing in that key. I don't like those chords. I'm going to play it the way I want to'. Till finally poor liarspoker disappeared because it was all pointless.

Don't make your own backing track, use Jeff's. That's the point of the exercise. And if you can't, don't you dare blame Jeff. There's nothing wrong with his track. It's certainly not 'irregular' enough for any player here to butt out of.

Grrr.

[Mick-7]

You did this on those Barry Galbraith arrangements. You'd turn up and destroy the whole thing before anyone had barely started, thread after thread.

I created (i.e., started) the Barry Galbraith thread so I can't very well have "destroyed" it, you are probably referring to some other chord melody thread. But you are the last person to talk about waylaying threads, you currently hold the forum record for that.

Don't make your own backing track, use Jeff's. That's the point of the exercise.

Exercise? Jeff shared his backing track, which I appreciate, maybe I'm just more fussy than you are about tempo.

[ragman1]

The first chorus of Jeff's was in time. Here's that same chorus x3 with his ending tagged on. Now it's in time and not a problem

[ragman1]

I created (i.e., started) the Barry Galbraith thread

Was that you? Okay, my mistake, I've forgotten. Then which were the ones liarspoker started, where he posted chord melody arrangements from a book so people could play them?

Jeff shared his backing track, which I appreciate, maybe I'm just more fussy than you are about tempo.

I'm sure he did it partly for himself but he didn't 'share' it so we could listen to it, he did it so people could use it play over. He does that kind of thing. If you weren't going to do that you'd never have answered it in the first place.

You're unnaturally 'fussy'. Don't try to fool me, matey. If you can't play it don't bother.

[ragman1]

Liarspoker's thread was Jeff Arnold in May 2024.

Here are some quotes from you:

Arnold's rendition is rather tame.

One could do an open D string pedal point with Galbraith's dim. chord phrase:

D7: x-x-0-2-4-2 >> x-x-0-5-7-5 >> x-x-0-8-10-8-x >> Gmaj7: x-x-5-7-7-7

Makes more sense coming from: x-0-5-5-3-x

I just revised Arnold's version of When I Fall in Love from this book, he had it in Eb major, not a good key for solo guitar, so I transposed it to F major.

Etc, etc, till someone said

Very nice, but keep it for the study group…

I'm sure you get the picture. But none of this is the point. Leave Jeff's backing alone or play to it. In fact, it's about time you actually played something, isn't it?

[Mick-7]

By the way, many musicians do play Rhythm changes for this tune, I know Oscar Peterson did, not sure about Dave Brubeck, I didn't check.

[DestinyT]

After hearing Lester Young playing the melody I decided to transcribe it. The way he made so much out of this simple melody is really amazing.

I played it along with Lester in the first video and then played his version of the melody in the duo with Jeff. I will include my transcription in case anyone is interested.

Duplicating Lester's unique timing and vibrato was a challenge.
Attachment 133708

I think this is absolutely beautiful. The sound, the phrasing, the feel – it's all so musical.

What I especially love is seeing the forum used like this: someone taking the time to transcribe a great solo, learn it, and then share the result with the rest of us.

It's genuinely inspiring, and it makes dropping in here such a pleasure.

Thanks so much for posting it, Question.

[Question]

@DestinyT

Thanks, I am a great fan of Brazilian music and enjoyed what you posted in the Rhythm guitar thread.

Just to be clear, only the melody is transcribed from Lester Young the rest is my improvisation not a transcribed solo.

I posted my transcription of Lester's melody in my original post if you would like to learn it.

If you thought that Lester wrote the solo then I guess I stayed within the parameters of the style and era.

[DestinyT]

@DestinyT

Thanks, I am a great fan of Brazilian music and enjoyed what you posted in the Rhythm guitar thread.

Just to be clear, only the melody is transcribed from Lester Young the rest is my improvisation not a transcribed solo.

I posted my transcription of Lester's melody in my original post if you would like to learn it.

If you thought that Lester wrote the solo then I guess I stayed within the parameters of the style and era.

Thanks for the clarification. I should have been clearer. I wasn't thinking the second video was a transcription of a Lester solo.

It was actually the way you captured Lester's embellishments of the melody that really grabbed me. You translate them so beautifully to the guitar, and your tone is gorgeous.

Then, in the second video, your own improvisation sits so naturally in the same style, working wonderfully with Mr B's playing.

A real pleasure to listen to both. Thanks again for sharing!

[ragman1]

This one hasn't been posted yet, probably should have been.